Trio
by lakemonster
Summary: Ron, Harry, and Hermione - longing, jealousy, and the Christmas holidays
1. Ron, Hermione, & Harry

Trio

by lakemonster

The Gryffindor common room, warmly lit by a crackling fire, was largely empty on the first night of the Christmas holidays. Ron sighed with contentment as he wrapped his fingers around his mug of hot cocoa and burrowed deeper into his warm knit blanket, watching his two best friends playing chess. They were hopeless at it, of course. Harry's bishops were giving him conflicting advice, and Hermione's remaining pawns were trying to sneak off the board, warily eyeing Crookshanks. The ginger cat had been watching them suspiciously closely but now seemed to have been distracted momentarily by Hermione stroking his back. Ron let his eyes linger on Hermione…her delicate hands, her dark eyes, her thick brown hair, her slender neck…She shifted to lift her cat off the table, and Ron couldn't help but admire the smooth legs sticking out of her soft plaid pajama shorts. He sighed longingly into his cup.

"You make enough for us?" Harry's half-joking voice startled Ron out of his reverie. It seemed that he and Hermione had decided to give up on their game. Ron jutted his chin toward the two steaming mugs he had left on one of the dark wooden tables near the couch. He set down his own cup, now empty.

Hermione dropped onto the sofa next to him and, much to Ron's surprise and delight, leaned back against his shoulder, stretching her long bare legs along the length of the couch. He shifted to accommodate her. Harry picked up the mugs and, handing one to Hermione, slid onto the far end of the couch, pulling her legs onto his lap.

Hermione took a careful sip of her cocoa. "Mmmm…you two are _much_ better than a warming charm." She snuggled back against Ron and then squirmed slightly as Harry's hands brushed her legs with a few tickling strokes. He laughed and grinned at Ron, who took his cue and gently tickled Hermione's ribs. She twitched gracelessly for a moment, managing, however, not to upset her cup.

"_Honestly_." Her voice was cross, but Ron could tell she was amused. Feeling emboldened, he slid his hands down her sides to wrap his arms around her slim waist. She snuggled back against him and sighed contentedly as Harry stroked her shins affectionately. Ron handed one corner of the blanket to Harry, and he stretched it along the length of the couch so that its cozy warmth covered them all.

They sat there together, alternately sipping their cocoa, dozing, and watching the fire well into the night. Ron was in heaven, his arms wrapped loosely around Hermione and his face buried in her hair. Her scent intoxicated him---his thoughts felt thick and sticky. Through the swirl of warmth drifting in his mind, he heard the deep chime of the clock striking some late hour and felt a blissful sleepiness descend on him, his only coherent thought the vague wish that he could fall asleep in this manner every night.

Suddenly Harry started. "Damn!"

"What's wrong?" Hermione sat up, sounding sleepy as she shifted slightly against Ron.

Harry sighed. "I had some library books due today."

Ron shrugged drowsily without opening his eyes. "Forget about it, mate."

Harry extricated himself from Hermione's legs and stood, shivering slightly from the loss of his friends' warmth.

"Can't. Madam Pince's already cross enough with me." Harry glanced at his watch, then took off for his dormitory, emerging moments later with several leather-bound texts in one hand and his invisibility cloak in the other. He grinned apologetically at his two best friends. They heard him call out, "I'll be back," as he scrambled out the portrait hole.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed it. I'll have the second part up soon. Harry Potter does not belong to me.


	2. Ron & Hermione

Trio, chapter 2

            By lakemonster

As soon as the portrait closed behind Harry, Ron felt his stomach tighten.  As long as it had been all three of them there on the couch, he hadn't been nervous.  But now, suddenly, Ron realized that he was cuddled under a warm blanket in front of a romantic fireplace with his arms wrapped around Hermione's waist.  They had shifted over the course of the evening so that her back was flush with his chest and their legs were tangled on the couch.  Much to his horror, he felt his body responding to her nearness and quickly tried to put some distance between them. 

Hermione felt his movements and, apparently thinking that Ron was trying to free himself from her, shifted so he could extricate his legs.  She watched him get settled, and then curled back up next to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head against his right shoulder.  She had a look of drowsy contentment on her face.

He knew he was staring, but he couldn't stop himself.  Without realizing what he was doing, Ron reached out with his left hand to brush a thick lock of hair off her face.  He was immediately mortified, but Hermione didn't seem surprised by the gesture.  She smiled at him softly and shifted closer to him.  She had lifted her head off his shoulder and Ron found himself absolute mesmerized by her hair as she swept it behind her shoulders. 

Suddenly feeling reckless, Ron leaned towards her and pressed his lips against hers.  After only a moment, he felt her respond, relaxing into his embrace.  Sliding his hands down behind her back, he pulled her against him.  Ron could feel her heart beating against his chest.  He deepened the kiss and felt the heat pool in his belly while their tongues explored each other gently.  Hermione's hair tickled his face, and he pulled back to tuck the unruly locks behind her ear.  As soon as he saw her face, though, Ron wished he hadn't broken the kiss.  Hermione's eyes were wide and panic-stricken, her swollen lips framing the shocked expression on her open mouth. 

"Ron…" She began, her voice quaking.  He noticed then that her body was quivering. 

"What's wrong, Hermione?"  A sickening dread was winding its way around his heart, constricting its too-fast beating.

"It's just…I….I never expected…" She wasn't looking him in the eye.  "I didn't think you would…ummm…kiss me."

"Oh…"  Ron responded uncomfortably, not sure what else to say.  "I'm sorry." 

"No!"  Hermione sounded mortified now.  "I didn't mean _that_…it was…_very nice_."  She chanced a moment of eye contact, and as she flushed a deep scarlet, Ron realized that she had been just as affected by the kiss as he had.  His heart gave a clumsy leap.  He raised a hand to stroke her cheek and was about to lean in for another kiss when he realized she was biting her lip, her brow furrowed in worry. 

"Hermione?"  He searched her brown eyes.

"Ron," She bit her lip again, "It's just that...the same thing happened…ummm …the other day."

Ron felt a hot surge of jealousy course through his body.  "What do you mean?"

Hermione looked guilty to the point of nausea now.  The words tumbled quickly from her mouth.  "I mean, no one ever kissed me before, well, except Viktor, but that was a long time ago and he was kind of old for me and there wasn't any, well, tongue or anything."  She flushed pink.  "But then just the other day I was sitting there with…ummm…well…I guess we just felt, you know, _drawn_ to each other.  It was weird, because I had never really thought of him that way.  I mean, I thought he was cute and everything, and, well, I guess I had thought about kissing him before, but I mean, they were just sort of idle thoughts!  But then it happened and it was just like, well, it was meant to be.  It just felt so right."  She looked guiltily at Ron's chin, still unable to meet his eyes, "I'm sorry…I…I…"

"Who?"  Ron fought to control his voice.  "Hermione, who was it?"  He felt himself holding his breath. 

She looked up at him pleadingly.  "It was Harry."

Ron was thunderstruck.  He had never once considered Harry a rival, not even during that whole Rita Skeeter escapade.  To be honest, he had always harbored the fantasy that Harry would fall for Ginny eventually. 

"Oh Ron!"  Ron was jolted from his shocked silence when Hermione threw herself at him, burying her face in his chest.  He found himself stroking her hair comfortingly and staring, unseeing, into the fire.

A/N: Still working on the third part, hopefully it will be up soon.


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